Knight 'n Gale

Chapter 7

Less than an hour after Cedar had left, a pigeon came knocking on Alexander's windows with a letter.

Roki immediately read the message and his eyes moved, flashing a hint of worry.

"What is it?" The prince noticed the butler's anxiety.

"The letter was from Silver."

"Huh? That quick?" Alexander raised an eyebrow. He was quite surprised that the physician had already responded to his order.

Quite a while ago, when Konoki paid him a visit, he sent a letter for Silver through him.

Since this morning, he had sensed that something was wrong with his knight.

The Cedar that he knew was both strict and tolerant. Those two were contradictory. However, he couldn't think of anything to perfectly describe his knight.

After two years at the Knight's Academy, Cedar became methodical in almost everything. Yet, his tolerance towards the prince's shenanigans remained the same. Except for his long lectures, he never raised his voice nor his fist in front of Alexander.

The prince found his change boring and was a bit lonely. Because his 'cute' and cheeky but sometimes coward 'little brother' suddenly became a composed, proper knight.

That's why Alexander was pleased when Cedar's new uptight image cracked from time to time. But today was rather suspicious.

Of course, he was entertained at first when he finally saw Cedar's flustered side. That's why he teased him in some ways. Even so, he observed that the knight was unusually antsy. His outbursts also happened one after another. Besides, although it was a vague feeling, he would sometimes feel that he's with a different person. Yet the way he moves and talks were definitely Cedar-like, especially on how he says that his life is solely on Alexander's grasp.

"Cedar Nightingale already died in the forest. I am only Cedar that the prince had created. My life was given to me by your highness. That's why, my entire being, even my death, could only be decided by you and you alone." He couldn't help but remember the pledge of the young Cedar after he saved him from dying.

Being with his knight for a long time, the prince didn't like that he's now doubting his closest friend. Still, he couldn't ignore his assumption that something's wrong. Granted that his gut feelings were almost always right.

That's why his first step was to confirm Cedar's identity. Since if he was a fake, then that means that the real one was in grave danger.

There's also a possibility of being under a surveillance or spying spell. Although he couldn't sense any trace of such a thing, it will never hurt to check just in case. And the perfect one to do the task was none other than the druid Silver.

With her innate ability and unusual insight, she can uncover any disguise. She can also see through the faintest trace of spell cast in a person.

Thus, when he noticed Cedar's fever, he used it as an excuse to send the knight to the infirmary. That made it easier for Silver to conduct her "check-up".

However, he didn't expect the response to be this fast.

"She sure was quick to do her task, huh?" He mumbled in a pleasant tone.

With a concerned expression, Roki spoke. "It seems like Cedar had collapsed. Silver said that it was due to Armagunda poisoning."

Alexander was in the middle of writing. But when he heard Roki's words, his body abruptly froze. The ink from the feather pen then made a small pool atop the paper, ruining the entire document.